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Science Products
- Assessment Tools
- Tools for Treatment of Drinking Water
- Distribution and Storage
This page provides information on selected scientific papers, reports, and other references produced by researchers and grantees in the Drinking Water Research Program.
Research papers are available from published journals or through PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine that includes over 16 million citations from MEDLINE and other life science journals for biomedical articles.
To obtain copies of ORD (and other EPA) documents:
- National Service Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP): NSCEP is EPA's central repository of all EPA documents with over 7,000 titles available in paper or electronic form.NSCEP also produces the EPA National Publications Catalog which is available on their web site.
- National Environmental Publications Internet Site (NEPIS): NSPIS is EPA's largest electronic documents site which allows you to search view and print, including full images of all original pages and full-text, from a collection of over 10,000 archival and current documents. This collection may include documents that are no longer available in print form. ORD publications are listed at "Publication Title List - 600 Series."
Assessment Tools
Assessment Tools for Cryptosporidium
Research supported by the Drinking Water Research Program (DWRP) provided new data on Cryptosporidium infectivity which suggested both the range and magnitude of the water-borne disease was higher than estimated in the 1998 final Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (IESWTR). This new data permitted the calculation of health risk reduction benefits for new drinking water regulations.
Chappell, C., P. Okhuysen, C. Sterling, C. Wang, W. Jakubowski and H. Dupont. 1999. Infectivity of Cryptosporidium parvum in healthy adults with pre-existing anti-C. Parvum serum immunoglobulin G. Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 60:157-164.
Assessment Tools: Analytical Methods for Protozoa, Bacteria, and Viruses
EPA's Contaminant Candidate List (CCL), authorized by the Safe Drinking Water Act, provides a process for identifying waterborne contaminants that may impose potential health risks in drinking water. The list is developed and updated by EPA on a five-year cycle. Analytical methods developed through the DWRP are widely used to determine the prevalence of CCL chemicals and microorganisms in public water systems and the extent to which they can be removed through treatment. The DWRP provides tools, models, and data to determine exposure and potential health risks and develop options for risk management including source water protection and treatment alternatives.
For more information:
Microbiological Methods
Drinking Water Methods
Assessment Tools: Method for Monitoring of Protozoan Pathogens
Monitoring of protozoan pathogens in drinking water systems is challenging due to their relatively low concentrations. Researchers supported by the DWRP developed, optimized and evaluated a portable continuous flow centrifuge (PCFC) for the concentration of Cryptosporidium and Giardia from large volumes of water. The method was validated by independent water testing laboratories and meets the performance-based criteria . Adoption of this new concentration method will allow for improved monitoring of protozoan pathogens.
Assessment Tools: Pathogens in Urban Watersheds
A report entitled Managing Urban Watershed Pathogen Contamination is a resource for state and local watershed managers who have the responsibility of managing pathogen contamination in urban watersheds. In addition, it can be an information source for members of the public interested in watershed mitigation efforts aimed at reducing microbial contamination. The information also can support watershed evaluations conducted when disease outbreaks occur. The document discusses the regulation of waterborne pathogens (Chapter 1), detection methods (Chapter 2), and best management practices (Chapter 3).
Tools for Treatment of Drinking Water
Treatability Database: Water utility operators can use the Treatability Database as a single source of information to identify the best, most cost-effective tools to ensure regulatory compliance. This database stores information about the effectiveness of nearly 30 treatment technologies for removing up to 250 regulated and emerging drinking water contaminants.
More information on Arsenic Research.
Arsenic Treatment Technologies: Meeting the current arsenic standard is challenging for many communities. The Drinking Water Research Program is providing information on a number of technologies and compliance approaches for use by utilities, engineering firms, regulatory officials and others. Treatment design manuals, technology demonstrations, cost publications, research documents, and rules and regulations can be found at the arsenic treatment technologies Web site.
Demonstration Projects: The DWRP is actively involved in EPA's Arsenic Treatment Technology Demonstration Program (ATTDP) targeted at testing technologies that might be appropriate for small systems. The demonstration program currently has field sites in 26 states and is providing information to numerous small drinking water systems, states, and EPA regional offices. Information includes:
- A handbook on arsenic treatment technology for small systems (PDF) (151 pp, 1.84MB)
- The relative costs of the various treatment technology alternatives including capital and long-term operation and maintenance
- Report on Treatment Technologies for Arsenic Removal (PDF) (12 pp, 1.69MB)
- Report on Arsenic Removal from Drinking Water by Adsorptive Media U.S. EPA Demonstration Project at Chateau Estates Mobile Home Park in Springfield, OH Six-Month Evaluation Report (70 pp, 1.65MB)
Distribution and Storage
Distribution and Storage: Model for Water Main Networks
EPANET is a computer program developed by EPA to perform extended period simulation of hydraulic and water-quality behavior within pressurized pipe networks. It was designed to help water utilities maintain and improve the quality of water delivered to consumers through distribution systems. EPANET is considered to be the standard model for water distribution networks, and has been used as the core for a number of commercial models. The model can be used to design sampling programs, study disinfectant loss and byproduct formation, conduct system vulnerability and consumer exposure assessments, and improve a system's hydraulic performance.
Distribution and Storage: Structural Integrity Monitoring
Utility managers can use better Structural Integrity Monitoring (SIM) to reduce high risk drinking water main breaks and inefficient maintenance scheduling. A systematic effort by EPA and other federal agencies, in cooperation with relevant stakeholders, is recommended to identify, prioritize, and capitalize on opportunities to accelerate SIM capability improvement. A research document, entitled White Paper on Improvement of Structural Integrity Monitoring for Drinking Water Mains has been published and addresses this topic.
More information in the White Paper on Improvement of Structural Integrity Monitoring for Drinking Water Mains (PDF) (58 pp, 3.11MB)
Distribution and Storage: Control of Lead Release
Scientists in the DWRP and many other partners including the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority and Washington Aqueduct, operated by the Army Corps of Engineers, have investigated and developed solutions to combat the problems associated with elevated levels of lead that were detected in District of Columbia drinking water in 2005. The elevated lead levels were due to a host of factors including changes in water chemistry that resulted in increased water corrosivity. Lead levels were aggravated in some homes by the presence of lead service lines.